For this series in Philippians, I am going to limit each post to one verse, and hopefully produce a short, succinct read for my friends who follow.

3:18   For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ.

Have you ever pictured Paul preaching, getting all fired up, preaching hell and condemnation, yelling about the fires of destruction falling on those lousy sinners! How if they don’t turn, they were going to burn, that every sin deserves eternal everlasting judgement. How he relished the destruction of those who didn’t toe the line. Or that he emphasized the punishment of hell, the suffering that we deserve, the constant reminder of our rebellion?

Whoa – slow down Carl – Let’s think about this. There are two audiences we should consider when we try to understand the attitudes of the apostles, and how they relate to those outside and inside the church.

When Paul was preaching to the lost, count how many times he brought up eternal judgement. Now be careful – I am asking you to search the New Testament where he was preaching to those who had not heard the gospel yet, so you are restricted to the book of Acts for this research. While you are at it, check out the other apostles message, of how often they used a turn or burn message.

Secondly, check out the Apostles attitude when teaching the church, as he is here in this passage. Those who have turned from the cross, walking as enemies must surely deserve hateful condemnation of their actions, and yet Paul by his own admission, speaks of tears flowing. What gives here?

He should be condemning them, tearing those enemies up in order to build up those who are still faithful to the message. A little bit of condemnation might actually keep the faithful faithful! By the way – If you think that, you many need to read the New Testament again.

Paul’s heart was broken for those who had walked away from the cross of Christ. He wasn’t better than them, throwing a hate filled monologue on them, pushing them further into destruction. He described the plight of those who walked away, and shared his brokenness with those who rubbed shoulders with them.

How often do we find it easier to judge than to love?

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